Chicken Marbella Anyone???

Mixed brown and white rice, chicken marbella and
wilted kale salad with hot balsamic dressing

As a Dietitian, I am constantly talking about food.  When I am not talking about food, I am usually eating food or thinking about food, meal-planning,  recipe-searching or just wishing I was eating more food.  I have really tried to get into the habit of meal-planning for our week to make things a bit easier on our time and our wallets (less chance of eating out if something is planned at home!)

Mondays is usually "slow-cooker-Monday" as our daughter has piano, and usually there is at least one ice time.  The rest of the week will be me cooking three times, leftovers or pull-something-from-the-freezer two times, and then one meal where we just leave open and it could be anything from our Finger Food Friday meal, to soup and sandwiches

What's on the menu this week?

Chicken Marbella....marinated in prunes, figs,
garlic, wine, olives, capers....

Monday: Spaghetti (cooked on weekend, froze it, and dumped it in the slow cooker on low yesterday...yummmmmmy!)

Tuesday:  New recipe, and the inspiration for this blog post...Chicken Marbella......

Wednesday:  Sausage and pasta with broccoli coleslaw (simple, quick, everyone will eat it, done.)

Thursday:  Quick Moo Shoo Pork (from Canadian Living a few months ago...delicious!)

Friday....Finger Food Friday up in Sherwood Park as we are going to visit the in-laws!

Tonight's meal was inspired by a friend of mine who gave me some to try....I died and went to heaven in that moment...it was just so tasty!   It is a recipe from a series of cookbooks called "Whitewater Cooks" (and coincidentally, these cookbooks are on my Christmas Wish List).  This recipe is super easy as you mix it all up the night before in a casserole dish, and then pop it in the oven when you get home from work!


Chicken Marbella
1 large pack of chicken thighs, boneless and skinless (my pack was about 3 - 4 lb)

Marinade
6 cloves of minced garlic
1 TBSP dried oregano
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup red wine vinegar **
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pitted prunes, chopped
1/2 cup dried figs, quartered
1/2 cup chopped green olives (I did very few of these as I have an "olive-hater" in my house)
1/4 cup capers with a bit of the caper juice
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white wine

Place thighs in a 9x13 glass casserole dish.  Combine all the marinade together. ** I did not have any red wine vinegar, but substituted some old red wine that was demoted to cooking wine, and threw in a bit of apple cider vinegar that I had.   Once all combined, mixed, chopped, etc...pour over chicken, cover and place in fridge to let the flavours infuse.   Note that this recipe needs to be done the night before to let those flavours sit.  Once ready to cook, bake for about 45 - 50 min at 350 convection uncovered.   Turn the chicken once during baking, basting with the juices.  Once golden brown...its done! Serve with rice and salad.  

It was so delicious, even my "olive-hater" enjoyed it!!